“Those are some wicked f**kin’ tattoos,” Tate points out.
Everyone is eyeing mine and Camryn’s ink now. Camryn lifts away from my chest to give them a better look.
“Yeah, no doubt,” Bray says, enthralled. She crawls across the sand closer toward us. “I’ve been curious about them.”
The blonde chick eyeing me moments ago sneers at Camryn, though Camryn doesn’t notice, as she’s too busy showing the tattoo to Bray.
I use this opportunity to my advantage. “Turn around here, babe, and show them how it fits.” I lift Camryn around on my lap and then lay my back against the sand, bringing her body down on top of mine.
The group watches closely, the blonde chick’s face turning faintly bitter when I look right at her while at the same time pressing my body against Camryn’s. We line up our tattoos to form a seamless picture of Orpheus and Eurydice; my Eurydice wearing a long, flowing see-through white gown pushed against her body by the wind, wisps of flowing fabric blowing behind her as she reaches out her arms to Orpheus inked along Camryn’s ribs. Bray gawks down at the detail, her dark eyes wide with awe. She glances back at Elias and now he looks nervous, as though he’s worried Bray is going to drag him to the closest tattoo parlor after tonight.
“That. Is. Awesome,” Bray says. “Who are they?”
“Orpheus and Eurydice,” I answer. “From the Greek legend.”
“A tragic tale of true love,” Camryn adds.
I squeeze my arms around her.
“Well, nothing seems tragic about the two of you,” Tate says.
I squeeze Camryn even tighter, both of us sharing private thoughts that are better kept to ourselves. I kiss the top of her hair.
Bray leans away, still sitting with her knees in front of her pressed into the sand. “I think it’s beautiful. And I guess it better be because I know that had to hurt like hell.”
“Yeah, it definitely hurt,” Camryn says. “But it was worth every hour of pain.”
Sometime later, Camryn and I have both gone through at least three Coronas each, but she’s the only one of us who shows it. She’s a little buzzed, but just enough that it’s making her more talkative.
“I know!” she says to the black-haired Bray. “I saw them in concert with my best friend, Nat, and they were amazing! Not too many bands who sound almost just like they do on their album.”
“Yeah, that’s the truth,” Bray says and finishes off her beer. “Did you say you’re from North Carolina?”
Camryn lifts her back from my chest and sits Indian style on the sand.
“Yeah, but Andrew and I don’t really live there now.”
“Where do you live?” Tate asks. He takes a long pull from his cigarette and holds the smoke in his lungs while he goes on. “Texas?”
Everyone turns to look at me when I answer, “No, we sort of… travel.”
“Travel?” Bray asks. “What, like driving around in an RV?”
“Not exactly,” Camryn says. “We just have the car.”
The blonde-haired girl who has been eyeing me all night speaks up: “Why do you travel?”
I notice the look in her eye right away, the one where she’s trying her hardest to get my attention, but I ignore it and answer, looking back over at Bray next to us, “We play music together.”
“What, you’re like in a band?” the blonde girl asks.
I look right at her this time. “Sort of,” I say, but that’s all I give her, and I turn my attention back to Bray.
“What kind of music do you play?” Tate’s brother, Caleb, asks. He’s been getting comfortable with the other girl since we got here. They’re probably not together, either, but he’s definitely getting laid tonight.
“Classic rock, blues, and folk rock, stuff like that,” I answer and take a swig of my beer.
“You’ll have to play for us!” Bray says excitedly.
Clearly, she’s about as buzzed as Camryn, and the two of them seem to get along good.
Camryn swings around on the sand to see me, her eyes wide and enthusiastic. “You could. You’ve got the acoustic in the backseat.”
I shake my head. “Nah, I’m not up to it right now.”
“Oh come on, baby, why not?”
There are those puppy-dog eyes and Camryn’s trademark whine, which never fail to make me do whatever she wants. But I play around with it for a moment longer, hoping maybe she’ll give in and say never mind.
Of course, she doesn’t.
“Yeah, man, if you’ve got a guitar with you and know how to play, that’d be awesome,” Tate says.
By now, everyone is looking right at me—even Camryn, who is really the only one of them I’m going to do it for.
Giving in, I get up, head back to the car, and return carrying the guitar. “You’re going to sing with me,” I say to Camryn as I sit back down beside her.
“Nooo! I’m too buzzed!” She kisses me on the mouth and then moves over to sit next to Bray and Elias, I guess to give me some space.
“All right, what do you want me to sing?”
The question was for Camryn, but Tate answers, “Hey, whatever you feel like, man.”
I run a few different songs through my head for a minute and finally choose this one because it’s so short. I mess around with the strings a few times, tune it real quick, and then start to play “Ain’t No Sunshine.” I began not really giving a shit about how good it was, but like always, once I start, I become someone else and put everything I’ve got into it. My eyes stay closed through most of the song, but I can always feel the energy of those around me, whether they’re getting into it or not.